Google is giving away Play Store credits (Update: Redux!)

Update, January 18, 2019 (3:29PM EST): If you missed the free Play Store credit the first time around, Google now offers a second opportunity for some Pixel 3 and 3 XL owners.

If you were selected, you should see a banner for a Play Store credit of $2 when you scroll down a bit in the For You tab. You can apply the credit at checkout and expires within 30 days of you saving the offer.

You can use the credit for anything on the Play Store, so long as it’s over $2. That said, not every Pixel 3 or 3 XL owner were selected for the credit.

Also, some folks received $3 of Play Store credit instead of $2.

Original article, November 5, 2018 (1:59PM EST): If you like free money (who doesn’t?), you should open up the Google Play Store app on your Android smartphone. You might find you’ve earned a free Play Store credit, worth anywhere from $1 to $5.

To see if you’ve got cash, open up the Google Play Store and scroll down a bit. If you’re one of the lucky ones who got a credit, you’ll see an image banner telling you so. If you scroll down all the way to the bottom of the page and don’t see anything except for suggested apps, unfortunately, you’ve missed out this time around.

Google didn’t make any announcement about the credits that we know of, so it’s hard to tell what this promotion is all about. It appears that owners of a Google Pixel 3 or Google Pixel 3 XL in the United States get a credit — but not all owners are seeing credits right now. It also appears people who don’t own a Pixel 3 who see the credit are a mixed bunch, with no obvious connection linking them.

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However, it does seem like all recipients of the free credit have one thing in common, which is they live in the United States.

If you do find yourself with some free credits, tap on the image banner and follow the instructions. The credit will go into your Google account and can be used towards any app or game on the Play Store. Keep in mind, though, that you can’t use the credits to pay for subscriptions or in-app purchases.

The credits will expire in two years, although you’ll likely spend $5 on the Play Store between now and then, won’t you?